Kingstown Bay

Marinas near Kingstown Bay

Introduction:

Kingstown is located on the west side of St. Vincent, and island that is part of the St. Vicent and the Grenadines island chain in the Lower Caribbean. Kingstown is located 40 miles north of Union Island and 112 miles west of Barbados.

Kingstown Bay is the main boating feature in Kingstown, and the area is replete with a cruise terminal, anchorage, customs office for checking in, a fuel and water dock, and a ferry terminal. Although beautiful and deep, Kingstown Bay is fairly open to the Caribbean, and as such, the anchorage can get unruly here when the wind pipes up out of the west or south.

History:

Known by the Caribs as Hairoun (“Land of the Blessed”), St. Vincent was first inhabited by the Ciboney, a grouping of Meso-Indians. The economy of these hunter-gatherers depended heavily on marine resources as well as the land. They used basic tools and weapons and built rock shelters and semi permanent villages.

The first permanent settlers arrived on the shores of St. Vincent in 1635. These new inhabitants were African slaves who survived the sinking of the Dutch slave ship on which they were being transported.

In 1925 a Legislative Council was inaugurated but it was not until 1951 that universal adult suffrage was introduced. St.Vincent and the Grenadines belonged to the Windward Islands  Federation until 1959 and the West Indies Federation between 1958 and 1962. Britain granted  internal self-government to the isLand in 1969 and as a British Assodated State, Vincentians were responsible for their internal affairs while Great Britain handled foreign affairs and defense.

[i]Information Courtesy St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ministry of Tourism and Culture[/i]

Navigating the Water:

Entering Kingstown Bay is easy. Simply approach from the west and point yourself into the middle of the harbor. There is anchorage available on the northwest side of the bay just north of the cruise ship terminal, but west to southwest winds of any decent speed can make the ride here quite unpleasant. Depths are 10 to 20 feet in a sand to sandy mud bottom. A fuel dock sells gas and diesel fuel and water, while the customs dock is located just across the ferry dock for easy check ins with officials.

Local Notices to Mariners:

See our “Local Notices to Mariners” blog for updates on the latest conditions and advisories for this area.

Transportation:

The government sets the rates for fares, but taxis are unmetered and you should always check the fare before setting off. Fares are raised for journeys late at night or early in the morning. The average fare from Indian Bay into Kingstown is approximately EC$25 and EC$15-20 will get you to the E. T. Joshua Airport from your Indian Bay or Villa hotel.

Flamboyantly painted buses travel the principal roads of St. Vincent, linking the major towns and villages. The central departure point is the bus terminal at the New Kingstown Fish Market. Fares range from EC$1 to EC$6 (US$0.40 to US$2.20). Minibuses, which stop on demand rather than at bus stops, run frequently between Kingstown and the popular hotel areas of Indian Bay and Villa.

[i]Information Courtesy St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ministry of Tourism and Culture[/i]

Helpful Links:

St. Vincent

St. Vincent Transportation